Written by

Michelle Gladden

@GladdenAPP

STAFFORD — A $250,000 donation from actor Alec Baldwin will help get the ball rolling on a much needed repair – the Mill Creek Community Center in Beach Haven West.

Last week, the “30 Rock” star wrote on Twitter that “The NJ Governor’s office was instrumental in directing us to the Stafford facility” and “Such community centers served, and still serve, as hubs for the elderly, civic organizations.”

The pledge comes from Baldwin’s ABFoundation, which normally supports the arts and artists. Instead, the actor diverted $250,000 to help rebuild areas in New York and New Jersey damaged by superstorm Sandy.

“The first recipients are libraries in East Hampton, Montauk, Amagansett and Sag Harbor,” Baldwin tweeted Dec. 13. “We sent smaller grants to Staten Island and the Rockaways for more urgent relief (food, fuel, medical supplies.) There is more to do.”

Mayor John Spodofora said he’s been communicating via email with Baldwin and hopes to invite him to the township for a formal ceremony.

“This is a direct result of the governor’s efforts,” Spodofora said of Gov. Chris Christie. “(Baldwin) and I share a passion to protect the environment.”

The Mill Creek Community Center looks like many structures here after Sandy. From the outside, many places seem intact but upon closer inspection it becomes apparent that flood waters have decimated the internal structure. At the center, the interior walls and flooring are gone.

Baldwin’s donation will help to start rebuilding the center, which is a community hub, but the total cost is an estimated $1.6 million, said Jim Moran, the township business administrator.

“We’re looking at a total loss,” he said. “The building suffered structural damages.”

Moran said the community center’s floor was heaved in the storm surge and there are structural issues in the walls. The heating and cooling system was destroyed as well as the facility’s kitchen and bathrooms.

“It is the community’s meeting hub,” he said. “There were events there 7 days a week, 365 days a year.”

At the moment, some of the close to 25 organizations that called the center home are meeting at the local branch of the Ocean County Library, Moran said.